Russia increasing drone strikes on Ukraine

 The Telegraph:

The number of Russian drone strikes targeting Ukraine has surged by more than 50 per cent since US-led peace talks began in mid-February, Telegraph analysis has found.

In the 30 days following Feb 18, when the peace talks began, some 4,776 drone strikes were launched by Russia, compared to 3,148 drone strikes in the 30 days before, according to Ukrainian Air Force Command updates.

Experts said that Moscow has ramped up its attacks to force concessions from Kyiv – and take control over as much land as possible – as Donald Trump, the US president, pledged to bring a swift end to the fighting. Ukraine is also finding it increasingly difficult to intercept Russian missiles, resulting in more civilian targets being hit by Russia.

“Russia is trying to increase the pain it is inflicting on Ukraine to make it more likely that Kyiv will make painful concessions and to show that Russia can continue the fight indefinitely,” said Daniel Byman, director of the Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

The Feb 18 meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marked the first time that US and Russian officials met to discuss the conflict – and was notable for excluding Ukraine. “I think I have the power to end this war,” Mr Trump said following the meeting.

But since then, the Kremlin has prevaricated and made a series of unrealistic demands, including the permanent annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, as well as Crimea. While the warring sides went on to agree a US-brokered 30-day ceasefire covering energy infrastructure and the Black Sea, there is little sign that strikes are slowing down.
...

Russia is trying to punish Ukraine for becoming more independent of Moscow.   There is no real attempt to justify the annexation of parts of Ukraine.  The Western sanctions against Russia since the war started are likely to continue and could become more severe.  Since the war began, neither side has been able to develop an economic response to drone strikes.  That is something the US and its allies must come up with for their own future defense efforts. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Should Republicans go ahead and add Supreme Court Justices to head off Democrats

Washington Post: Some Democrats eye adding more justices to the Supreme Court to change its ideological bent The once-remote idea has gained the attention of liberals angered by the GOP push to remake the federal courts. Probably the easy way to defeat this court-packing scheme is for Trump to propose doing the same thing now.  It would lead to Democrat denunciations and claims that it would be wrong, thereby blowing up any attempt by them in the unfortunate event of Democrats winning a presidential election.
Read more

Is the F-35 obsolete?

Headline USA: Pentagon Fires Back after Musk Calls Its Most Expensive Project ‘Obsolete’ 'Yeah, as I'm sure you can appreciate, Mr. Musk is, currently, a private citizen, I'm not going to make any comments about what a private citizen may have to say about the F-35....'   ... ... Drones appear to be replacing jets for many operations.  The Russia-Ukraine war is an example of that.  Drones are often hard to detect and can be used for intelligence operations as well as for attacking enemy targets.  It would not surprise me to see drones engaging other drones in combat.  They also cost much less than manned fighters.  
Read more

Apple's huge investment in US including Texas facility

Blaze: Apple announced a $500 billion commitment to infrastructure in the United States over four years, its largest commitment to domestic spending to date. Apple said it will expand teams and facilities in Arizona, California, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, and Washington as part of its new spending. With a new facility in Houston, Texas, Apple will reportedly double its investment in advanced manufacturing along with increasing investments in AI and silicon engineering. The company said in a press release that the Houston facility will produce servers to support Apple Intelligence, the "personal intelligence system that helps users write, express themselves, and get things done." ... The Texas facility will be for advanced technologies.   Texas has become a place that is very supportive of the tech industries.  Austin and Houston have seen much of the tech growth in the state.  Texas universities have been active in the AI field.
Read more